Sunday, October 31, 2010

The night of transition metal hydroxides

All hallows eve, and children everywhere will be donning their scariest costumes and venturing out into the darkening gloom to wrest their favorite hydroxides from neighbors and strangers.

I am taking, of course ,about sweetite. Sweetite, known from a limestone quarry in England, is zinc hydroxide. I don't have the exact petrogenetic details, but I'm guessing that it was leftover from decarbonation reactions in water-rich veins. One of these years, I'll get organized enough to give out mineral specimens to the wandering children, but that may have to wait until I live in a country that actually celebrates halloween. Until then, I wish you all well, and hope you enjoy your zinc minerals. Until someone discovers, describes, and coins zombiite, it is the most suitable mineral for this holiday.

Happy Halloween.

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